Polokwane municipal meeting out in chaos again

Polokwane Municipality’s last meeting for the year was interrupted by points of order from the start and ended in Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) councillors engaging in altercations with municipal security personnel.

EFF councillors insisted that they be allowed to pose questions and after Democratic Alliance councillor Franco Marx pointed out that only questions of which notice were given six days in advance may be entertained, speaker of the council Mariri Ralefatane ruled that the questions will be out of order and councillors voiced their dissatisfaction. EFF councillors refused to leave the meeting when ordered by Ralefatane to do so and municipal security personnel were called in. Altercations broke out and ended only after Ralefatane announced, after 30 minutes of fighting, that the meeting was adjourned.

The anger of the fighters was fuelled by a group of banner waving supporters in EFF uniform cheering them from the public gallery.

The door to the chamber was torn off its hinges and a chair and microphones were damaged.

Story and photos: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: Chaos erupts in the Polokwane Municipality’s council chamber as security personnel attempt to remove councillors from the meeting.